I was walking with a ghost

On boxing day I purchased a new Canon Rebel T1i that I'd had my eye on for some time now and I'm enjoying it thoroughly. Along with the camera I also got a tripod and a blackberry, which I'm also loving. I've always loved taking ghosty photos, but in the past not having a tripod has made it more difficult to get some good shots. I couldn't believe how much easier the tripod made it! These are two shots taken with the aid of said tripod the other day in my basement.

jacket - thrifted GAP, shirt - This City is Burning Records (Warped Tour 2009), cords - GAP, brooch - vintage, shoes - Spring

New Year's Resolutions

Hello there world and a warm welcome to 2011. As I'm sure all of you who've been through grade 12 can remember, it's a crazy time filled with home work, extra curriculars, and work. Now these all may seem like very valid reasons to be a lazy blogger, but really, they're not. That's why my New Year's Resolution is to blog at least once a week, even if it's just a photo or link that I like!

So to start this resolution off right here are some of my favorite photos of 2010:

I Love Fair Trade

Holy man. I have not posted in a very long time. Things have been crazy lately. I've been wicked busy with the play, work and trying to get all my school work done so I can graduate this year! In the midst of all that I've also been helping to organize a Fair Trade Market at my school for Dec. 10. The aim of the market is to support local fair trade businesses and educate the public about the benefits of fair trade. The event is open to the public, so for those Calgarians looking for holiday gifts this is your perfect opportunity.

Hopefully you can make you it and learn more about fair trade in Canada and around the world.

There's a Facebook event too!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109387475797781

Country girl at heart

As the snow fell here in Cow-town I was excited for winter, but I was also feeling a little sad about the lack of summer we had. The weather was awful this year. Alright, July wasn't that bad, but I was stuck in summer school the whole month! So I'm going to mourn my summer, look forward to winter and leave you all with the memory of my first ride on my dad's motorcycle a few weeks ago.

It was Thanksgiving long weekend, and the last summer-like day of the year. After a year of my dad having his bike he finally felt comfortable enough to have someone ride on the back with him, so he invited me to go out for a ride. I threw on my Cheap Monday's and Michael Kors moto boots - this being the first time I used them for what they're said to be made for - and off we went. We rode through the country and as I looked out at the rolling foothills, the mountains in the distance and the cows beside me I came to fully appreciate the love I have for Alberta.

This was my playlist for the ride:

• Shuttin' Detroit Down - John Rich
• Love Don't Live Here Anymore - Lady Antebellum
• Love Your Love The Most - Eric Church
• My Kind Of Radio - Jo Hikk
• Pledge Allegiance to the Hag - Eric Church
• The Road and the Radio - Kenny Chesney
• Where She Told Me To Go - Eric Church
• Pretty Girl at the Airport - The Avett Brothers
• People Are Crazy - Billy Currington
• Long Gone - Lady Antebellum
• Days of Thunder - Brooks & Dunn
• Beer in Mexico - Kenny Chesney
• Neon Moon - Brooks & Dunn
• Troubadour - George Strait
• Summertime - Kenny Chesney

I know there's going to be a lot of people that'll be angry with me for feeding this stereotype, but I honestly think that country and folk music is perfect for driving, skiing, riding, running, whatever, in Alberta. Hence the above playlist!

Bone Chiller

On Wednesday while I was supposed to be working at school, I was instead wandering the halls wasting time when I went into our school's theater just as my friend Anna (who I mentioned in my previous post on Project Maple) was taking photos to be used for the poster of our fall production of Bone Chiller. Bone Chiller is a comedic murder mystery which we just started rehearsals for this month. I have the pleasure of playing the role of Eloise Ainsley, an uptight, middle aged woman. Eloise is a riot and I'm so excited to be playing her.

So of course, being that neither Anna or I wanted to get back to school work, we had an impromptu photoshoot in the theater. It was an absolute blast. These are the results of this adventure, all taken by Anna.

This is the door Anna was photographing for the poster.

"Lighting cue go!"

I wish I could be a stage manager, but alas, I would go crazy!

I try my hand at directing! Our Tech teacher was not so impressed with me trying to tell her how to build her set....

Our theater hasn't been updated since the school was built in 1971. It's set to be renovated this year, but selfishly I'm hoping it's delayed because I want a theater for our spring show!!

top - thrifted, jeans - winners, shoes - vans, necklace - birthday gift from mom

My latest Discovery

As I was causally browsing Style.com in an attempt to get some ideas for grad dresses, or prom for those of you outside of western Canada, I came across the designer Carven's spring 2011 RTW collection. I haven't previously heard of Carven, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw their collection. I absolutely love the use of neutral and pastel colours throughout, as well as different textures and cuts.

Here are a few of my favorites:

All photos belong to Style.com

How Canadian are You?

I love Canada. I have lived here my whole life and am very grateful for it. However I do think we Canadians could use more outlets to express how we feel about this great land of ours. Fortunately my friend Anna feels the same way. This in combination with our social studies course last year, which focused on the topic of nationalism, inspired Anna to create Project Maple.

Project Maple is a mail art project exploring Canadian identity. Anyone can submit; all you have to do is create something that reflects how you feel about living in Canada.

Of course as soon as Anna told me about Project Maple I had to do something right away. This was her first submission, by yours truly.